The present invention generally pertains to an armrest for a seat assembly, and especially to a vehicle seat having an armrest that is adjustable to a remote stowage position.
It is well known that flexibility with regard to interior space is a favored vehicle characteristic. Of the recent vehicle types, the minivan class is probably the most adept at utilizing interior space and novel features to maximize vehicle flexibility. Whereas a typical passenger car has fixed seating arrangements, minivans offer adaptive seating and storage configurations designed to improve vehicle utility. However, despite their popularity and features, minivans still exhibit certain shortcomings that decrease user satisfaction.
One common problem found in minivans is the inability to easily move around once inside the vehicle. Passengers who want to fully utilize the vehicle's flexibility often need to move between the front and rear seating positions. However, this act is not always easy or graceful because of narrow aisle widths caused by the trend toward smaller vehicles and wider seats. Additionally, armrests located at the side of the seats intrude into the aisle and further reduce the aisle width.
To facilitate movement, it is desirable to increase the effective aisle width. One way to do so is by allowing the seat armrests to be moved out of the way. It is known that armrests can be moved to facilitate seat ingress and egress. This is typically done with a horizontal Pivot that allows the armrest to be stowed in a vertical orientation adjacent to the seat backrest. Although acceptable for certain applications, when used in minivans, these types of armrests obstruct the aisle and inhibit movement of passengers between seating positions.
Other armrests have been proposed that have multi-axis Pivots to move the armrests to remote, non-intrusive stowage positions. However, these designs are elaborate and do not minimize intrusion by the armrest into the aisle. For example, the armrest shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,958 can be stowed behind the seat backrest but, as shown in FIG. 2, actually intrudes further into an aisle when in its stowed position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,606 also presents an armrest that can be stowed behind the seat backrest but, as shown FIG. 4, provides only limited relief from intrusion because, even in its stowed position, the armrest that is still partially usable by a seated passenger. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,191 shows a thin armrest that is stored adjacent to the side of a seat backrest, but still intrudes into an aisle and, because of its necessary thinness, compromises comfort.
The above noted armrests all use complex mechanisms that do not fully minimize the affect of a stowed armrest on aisle clearance. In several of these armrests, large and unsightly pivot means are exposed to viewing by the passengers. Additionally, their operation is cumbersome because they usually require multiple motions through independent planes to reach their stowage positions.
In contrast to the above multi-axis pivot armrests, the present invention uses only a single pivot to move the armrest out of the aisle. The pivot means is small and unobtrusive and, therefore, able to be easily styled into the vehicle. The novel armrest has a pivot axis that is skewed to a horizontal plane and vertical planes extending laterally and longitudinally through the vehicle. This skewed pivot axis generates a single arcuate path for the armrest that does not lie solely in any one primary vehicle plane. Armrest motion begins up and away from the side of the seat cushion and ends in a downward facing direction toward the rear of the seat backrest. The invention is such that, when the armrest is stored behind the seat backrest, neither the armrest or pivot means intrude into the aisle.
In the preferred embodiment, the armrest unit itself is a conventional design having an elongate support structure, resilient padding for comfort, and an aesthetic first or outer surface. The support structure has a bend adjacent to its pivot end such that the armrest is properly oriented in its use and stowage positions and also so the armrest cooperates with the skewed pivot axis during rotation.
The present invention requires a predetermined path through the vehicle that must be clear of obstructions. Locations for other seats, "B" and "C" pillars, consoles, and the roof must also be considered when developing the path that the armrest will follow. For this reason, the armrest of the present invention is affixed to the side of the seat that is adjacent to an aisle, thereby providing the necessary clearances for motion. For example, in a front bucket seat application, the armrest is at the inboard side. However, if used on a rear bench seat, the armrest is positioned on the outboard side at the rear aisle. The remaining seat armrests, if any, can be conventional horizontal pivot types to allow for seat ingress and egress.
During continued vehicle operation, passengers will normally keep the armrest at their side for comfort. However, when a passenger wants to move to another seating position within the vehicle, he can do so by simultaneously lifting up and pushing the armrest away from its use position at the side of the seat. The armrest, with continued force applied as necessary to overcome gravity, will eventually settle into its stowage position against the rearward side of the seat backrest. With the aisle cleared of this obstruction, the passenger can exit his seat and move through the aisle. Similarly, when a passenger desires the comfort of a stowed armrest, he can reach around the backrest and move the armrest from its stowage position, through its arcuate path, and back to into its use position.
The preferred embodiment uses only stops and gravity to keep the armrest in its two positions. Therefore, the passenger need only lift the armrest as described above to effect motion thereof. If desired, however, a lock could be applied at the pivot such that the passenger had to release it before the armrest could be moved.
The skewed pivot means provides a novel armrest system that is advantageous to vehicle passengers. Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to facilitate movement through aisles by selectively moving armrests out of such aisles to maximize clearance space. Another object of the invention is to offer a stowable armrest that meets traditional comfort requirements. Still another object is to offer unobtrusive and simplified pivot means for stowing an armrest behind a seat backrest. These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.